Condos VS Townhouse Difference | Which Should You Buy?

Interested in buying or selling in the Seattle/Bellevue area? Get in touch with me at: monicachurchrealestate.com/ or [e-mail]
The 2 main factors to consider when purchasing a condo vs a townhouse is: Which is the better financial investment?
Which is the better lifestyle fit?
In this video, I will break down the financial difference of a condo vs a townhome as well as the lifestyle difference. There is a lot to consider!
Follow me: / monicachurch

[@samanthashev]

A big perk of a condo for me is the safety, especially living in such an walkable urban area. No one can just walk up to your front door in a condo like they can a townhouse

[@slimjseattle]

Keep in mind, those HOA dues aren't just for amenities or convenience. The majority of my HOA dues are water/sewer, insurance, and exterior maintenance. If you purchase a townhouse, I guarantee you will have these costs. You'll just pay for them yourself instead of through shared dues.

[@bmark6445]

Exactly - HOA dues can vary widely as to what you are paying for but like you say you have to consider that many of these costs when owning a townhouse will be additional to the mortgage cost. Also what kzbin.info/door/Xkk0nRsOWE3ZJDopLiDEoA is pointing out is affordability - she talked about appreciation but that is not even possible if you can't afford to buy the property. What Monica is spot on about is the lifestyle that can be difficult to approach financially in cities where real estate costs are high. You may not be at a point where you can afford an individual property (townhouse) so a condo can a great option and you have most of the maintenance included in your mortgage. This is a complex topic and I think Monica does a good job of Townhouse vs Condo 101.

[@haleyperdue4483]

Insurance depends on condo to condo. I’m a mortgage underwriter. Many condo policies don’t cover anything inside your individual units and you are required to get an HO-6 policy to cover the inside of your unit. Something to keep in mind.

[@EMSpdx]

THIS! I chose a townhome thinking that the monthlies would be way lower, but as it turns out, those monthlies wound up being around the same.

[@TheLadyFool]

My townhouse comes with an HOA and I live in Seattle. When we were house hunting, HOA dues were pretty ubiquitous between both condos and townhomes, just due to the shared roofing, walls and grounds. Instead of worrying about having an HOA at all, we focused on looking at how the HOA was run, was it solvent and were the shared features of the townhomes in good repair, indicating that the board was responsible.

[@adebs]

Ooooh this is really good to know! Thank you for sharing this!

[@Trish....]

You've found your niche, & you're soaring w/a passion!

[@marinaplumb8044]

My friend has a condo in the schoolhouse :) love that building.

[@sjstevens6375]

Something else to consider is that with all the new construction, if you have a view, it may get blocked in the near future which will then lower the value of your place.

[@cjsj2010]

This is exactly what I've needed! Thanks for putting together this video, Monica! :)

[@Chris_jae]

I actually never know how to describe townhouses before this! This was super helpful

[@moses777exodus]

Btw, I think you and Shelby are doing a looooot better than most people with 2, 4, 6, 8 year degrees. College degrees are over-rated, imo. Your results speak for themselves. Best wishes.

[@av365a2]

It depends on each person some people are successful without a college degree and some are. Not everyone is the same but I do agree with your statement.

[@cfwin1776]

It’s very expensive to maintain a single family home too. Roofs, floors, water heaters, HVAC all cost thousands of dollars.

[@skeletonboxers7336]

The timing of this is perfect because I have been looking at both options in Seattle all summer

[@karenstraberri4070]

I’ve been looking for a good vid like this! Love from a fan!

[@mallorygraf8574]

We have a townhouse in San Diego and we love it. However, we do pay HOA fees...the only thing that I don't like about our townhouse is no garden/yard so no barbecue during the summer!

[@therock1232100]

Great info for any market! Thank you for bringing it up!

[@danperlmutter]

So professional and informative! You're real estate clients are very lucky.

[@sandy949]

Love that your a realtor and so successful! Keep being fabulous!

[@courageousfitfemale5810]

I really enjoyed watching how you compared the two. Thanks, Monica!

[@pelossus]

Great breakdown. Thanks Monica!

[@ahhitskatie9094]

This was really interesting. Never knew the difference between the two! Thank you for these videos!

[@carternugent2723]

This is a great video. You do an excellent job convincing people to think of you as a realtor in the future.

[@paulsargeant3294]

Great video Monics, I love your stuff its great.

[@wandasanchez551]

Great perspective and many things to consider. Thanks

[@danica8217]

Great video! I'm not from Seattle, not even from the US. I'm not buying a home or thinking about condo or townhouse living lol But your content is always exciting and informative 👌

[@isabele9666]

I actually bought a condo as a first time buyer since for me I thought about the location & looked at the HOA to see if I could potentially rent it out later on.

[@Fullrusher]

Do you find it was a good decision afterwards ? Looking into these now

[@isabele9666]

@@Fullrusher My HOA allows a certain amount to be rented out and most people sell versus rent their condo out so, I took a gamble that when we’re ready to move out that we’d rent it out and make a passive income that way. At the moment, it fits our needs and is in the area we want to be in! For us, location played a huge amount in the ultimate decision.

[@Ddreinthebay]

Waiiiit I love this unit 3:25 😩 the tall ceilings, open concept

[@Charlierose214]

that Queen Anne high school is amazing

[@nicolejanine4060]

Such a great comparison!! I’m in Toronto and live in a condo-townhouse, so we also have HOA fees that covers water and some outdoor maintenance like snow plowing, grass trimming, etc. Is that common in Seattle?

[@arthursata9232]

Thankyou for providing content. Condos (except those with a small small number of units) have personnel to receive packages and deliveries. In this age of Amazon and all their competitors packages come all days and hours.

[@krystalscott685]

Would you be open to doing a video of the surrounding towns like Bellevue or Bothell? For those that want to live in more of the residential areas? Thanks!!

[@tranvictoria08]

Really appreciate all your knowledge on this! Any tips for renters for people newly moving to the city? Would love to hear more about that for the growing transplant community in Seattle!

[@corgilover7]

I LOVE the queen anne condos! They are so unique and special.

[@StephenOshea]

great video and lots of excellent information

[@millennialmoneyprogress]

It's really interesting to see how townhomes and condos in Seattle compare to those in the metro I'm familiar with (Los Angeles). In LA, townhouses have HOAs as well. Usually the HOAs on townhomes are cheaper than those on condos here though.

[@stephenchen4448]

This is a great real estate video. Thanks.

[@paolamartinez4295]

Such good content!!!! 💗

[@jackiel7728]

Hi Monica, thanks for the awesome video! What about an investment property, when you don't have the downpayment for a house? Don't apartments rent more easily? Also, do you have a comparison between how apartment prices increase vs townhouses?

[@Sugarheartsbakery]

Heyy Monica! Would you please share a link to the mic you use when wearing the gray blazer? ☺️ Looking to buy one and yours sounds amazing!!

[@WirelessSushi]

I always feel like youtube real estate are too busy to return emails when it comes to hiring a real estate agent. Can you clarify how many clients you get via youtube and how many you take in? I'm curious cause if i do decide to buy a house, i might want to ask a youtuber as there's much more transparency with them through their videos

[@Lady4Life]

Both spaces are beautiful.

[@eddykamaukahiu7239]

I love the way u explain

[@alainndipnudobgima4505]

Love your content monica

[@shawnmorales7841]

Hi! Totally appreciate your videos! Just thought I would mention that something I would love to hear is the monthly price if someone were to put down a smaller down payment (such as 5-7%). Most of my friends in King county are not putting down 20%.

[@ursonate]

if you can't put down more than 20%, don't buy. it's really going to make your life suck. PMI is *a lot*.

[@shawnmorales7841]

@@ursonate I can't say that I agree (20% in the Seattle market is a hefty sum)... I put down 5% a year and a half ago, refinanced and due to appreciation my PMI dropped. BUT, I hear what you are saying! PMI is definitely wasted money!

[@ryannatividad3137]

That townhouse in particular feels sooo narrow. Beautiful location, but every room you feel the roughly 20 ft (or maaaybe 25 ft) width of the unit. Every room seems likea narrow hallway. The wasted space of the actual stairs and the hallway really bother me too. The condo in this case is so much more open and airy. While all of this is particular to these two units, it still is a general trait of these types of newer, high-end multi-unit housing. That said, I've seen every variation of good layout/design in everything from condos, townhomes, and single-family homes, and bad examples of each as well

[@Jeroen74]

What would you do if that nice condo you wanted but couldn't buy back then became available again?

[@orangeguy3314]

My two story condo in Las Vegas has doubled in value from the time I got it in 2016.

[@suelyons531]

Both are amazing but that condo is so neat.

[@cheerssteph]

Great video!

[@moses777exodus]

Hi Monica, Congrats again on your 10th closing! Your hard work in pursuing your RE license and Selling Sunset have really been blessed. Seattle RE market, and the RE market in general, has been really hot. But what parallels do you see between today's market conditions and 2007 before the bubble popped? Continued best wishes.

[@Fred51888]

that's really nice house . the video shooting is also perfect.could you plz tell me what camera you used for shooting the video ? Thanks a lot

[@Leese3]

You should do a comparison further south of Seattle, like Rainier Beach, Renton or Kent. A lot of potential buyers can't afford to leave in Seattle proper.

[@atlfun08]

Just got a townhouse…it’s a good transition from condo to house! Lol

[@PrashantKuchi]

Do you work with client in the suburbs as well, or do you still to the city?

[@LM53180]

Interesting, in the east cost HOAs are included for townhomes and condos.

[@breathininluxembourg]

Both are cool & nice houses!

[@jeh02571]

Do townhomes in Seattle typically not have HOAs? In Colorado and Texas, every town home community I saw had HOAs.

[@brianpetersen3429]

Good information.

[@brianxyz]

The high school complex is a brilliant idea! Monica, do you know how old the school is?

[@Melinahs19]

I hate the shelves directly next to the toilet in the first place!! 😂

[@stanmoney8470]

Wow! They have some old ones in Houston for 40k - 50k.

[@lindsaylohana4856]

love the vid!!! this is so random but I have a Seattle question! My friend and I are flying from LA to stay in town in the last week of october/first week of november. We want to get a fun fall experience considering there’s no such thing as fall in LA. Where do you suggest we stay that’ll exude fall vibes but also be lively (we won’t have a car so preferably a place that’s walking distance or not too long of an uber ride to bars/restaurants etc) Thanks!!!

[@lindsaylohana4856]

@@jodylancaster8706 i’m used to stepping over bums. We’re going down there for work, and yeah we know it’s not the most fall place in the world but it’s better than la that’s for sure.

[@slimjseattle]

Isn't $850/mo HOA dues pretty high? For a one bedroom?

[@monicachurchrealtor]

It depends on the building and square footage. That unit was 900 square feet which is on the larger side for a 1 bedroom. But yes, it is on the higher side!

[@grayonthewater]

I love both but I want a townhouse nearby a walkable area! I HATE single family homes especially in the suburbs lol

[@cynthiar3013]

This!!!

[@msi8311]

I love suburbs. Growing up in the suburbs was great, very safe.

[@kimberlygonzalez3148]

Aside from an investment, I see condos for people who plan to be single or live w a partner and don’t plan to have kids ever or for a long time. Just my opinion 😭 I would much rather buy a townhome but w a condo you are def building equity as opposed to paying rent which is worse

[@greenpictureframe]

Interesting. Every townhome we looked at in had an HOA (not Seattle)

[@SarahP19]

I have a townhouse. Yep, made the right decision.

[@Nataliyamusic]

Show us more beautiful condos like this :)

[@tejasvigangaiah]

Please compare it with a single family house as well

[@Jesus_is_savior]

I prefer condos

[@agneshina]

Come to Atlanta please and thank you

[@cfwin1776]

I just came across this video and I am really interested in the topic. I have always lived in single family homes but I think it would be interesting to live in a condo for a change. I have been watching Shelby Church’s channel. You gals must be sisters?

[@msbgone]

$855 a month, WTH!!! OMG what do you get for that! WOW! Great vid!

[@bashfullJ88]

Basically nothing. They maintain the plants and clean the common areas. And then they increase the fees over time until its unaffordable.

[@brucelmnop2043]

town houses have HOA's also... so... whats the REAL difference ?? Townhouses sit on the ground, no one over you or below you. Condos are like apartments that you buy... people are all around you . Next to you, above you, below you.. Townhouses usually have your own 2 car garage. Condos usually have a shared garage space

[@robthomas5827]

So, for the 815k townhouse, you'll need $163,000 in cash for a down payment, just so you can pay $3,600 per month on a mortgage. For those in the back, that means you'll pay about $1,459,000 over thirty years, not including property tax. The average household income in America is about $5,600 per month, so the average household will have to shell out 64% of monthly income to live there. Conventional wisdom says don't spend over 33% of earnings on housing, so to be moderately comfortable financially, the buyer will have to have household income close to 11k, or double the average American household.

[@ginaf.5479]

I like town houses more :)

[@youknowwithMartyKauffman]

I would do the townhouse because there’s no HOA

[@ursonate]

Maybe. But if your townhouse shares walls or other infrastructure with other units, you need to protect yourself. Also think about landscaping and other maintenance. Also if you try to sell in the future, having a well-funded HOA is a selling point (granted the on fire Seattle market isn't demonstrating that at the moment).

[@youknowwithMartyKauffman]

@@ursonate Yeah you make some good points but I just don’t like having people tell me what to do with mine

[@bashfullJ88]

There is an Hoa with a townhouse and you get less for the amount of money you pay Hoa.

[@gardengatesopen]

Did you say the HOA dues are $855. A MONTH???! Wow. THAT seems insane to me... What an eye opener!

[@bashfullJ88]

Yeah and it increases over time until one day your paying 2000 dollars a month Hoa.

[@mahoganydrive]

$855 HOA😲

[@dwaynewilson8919]

Not a fan you convince twin sell house

[@paulsargeant3294]

Hey Monica, you remind me of Emma Watson, you guys are similar. Cya.

[@peggyfinsterbusch852]

And keep in mind that if a fire occurs, you and all owners might lose your entire investment due to under-insured.

[@chanhenri9172]

You look slim and more charms

[@KEWONZOR]

You know what eats in? The 850 HOA lol

[@ddolde]

RIDICULOUS PRICES !!!!

[@stanmoney8470]

Condos and townhomes have HOA 'S!

[@ursonate]

There are some sweeping generalizations in this video that are borderline misinformation. Take your time. Do your research. Signed, a townhouse owner.

[@nikkitube26]

Orrrrr you can literally spend the same money and move almost anywhere in the south, Midwest, middle America just an hour outside basically any city and have a mansion. I can admit that I will never get the appeal of living in a city with all the traffic and spending crazy amounts of money to live in a shoe box. Although I will say lofts seem pretty cool despite being a fraction of the size of a house.

[@jordanphillips8007]

No stop moving to FL our real estate prices are through the roof with everyone moving here!!

[@nikkitube26]

@@jordanphillips8007 it’s not just Florida.... it’s all red states for some odd reason 🤔🤪

[@thalez8040]

or you can just yolo all of your money on cripto then buy both condo and townhouse

[@azinity24]

800k is a good price for a townhouse? That's when I stopped watching

[@jadeitewu]

I was expecting a factual comparison, not another crappy-ass sales pitch.

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

First of all never buy anything in Seattle move!

[@montecar87]

Primary bedroom Vs Master bedroom LoL can you say WOKE

[@doolittlegeorge]

Why are we talking and not selling?

[@brianxyz]

She is selling. The video is a great selling tool.